Midday Meetings
by YuriAllDahWay
Summary: Hatsune Miku is a rather introverted and shy girl, very soft-spoken and only talks when needed to. The only place where she is able to come out of her shell is in the local café, run by two of her older friends, Meiko and Kaito. One day, a newcomer comes in, and Miku can't help but feel fascinated by such a beauty.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hi guys, I'm here with a Negitoro FF. I've always wanted to do one in a Modern-AU, and I never really found out how to do so. So now, here it is, with a high-school student Miku and a young adult Luka. There's a four-year age difference between them (Miku's sixteen and Luka's twenty). I've been thinking about making this a multi-chapter FF, and a rather short one, possibly ranging from three to five chapters. If you wish for me to continue, feel free to PM or review saying so. Thanks for reading.**

**Enjoy.**

**Ciao. c:**

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The teacher gathered his papers, placing them in a messy pile before tapping the bottom edge against his wooden desk, straightening them out. His purple eyes sifted through each of his students' faces, a blank expression on his own before he broke out into a grin.

"Class dismissed!" He announced, packing his things. The students did not wait for the man to finish, rushing out of the classroom with their friends and groups, laughing and creating jokes and plans along the way. Only one girl actually took her time, quite deliberately as she gathered her materials. Once she was done, she was the only occupant of the room when she looked up.

The girl went by the name of Hatsune Miku, a girl that fairly stood out with her distinguishable hair, only to fade back into the crowd with her shy and somewhat introverted attitude. She had a very neutral view on herself, and never considered herself above or below anyone else. Miku was what many would call "simple," "plain," and "bland." In fact, she was all three to say the least.

_I should stop over at the café today again, _Miku mused, picking her bag and slinging it over her shoulder as she left the class. She didn't bother locking up the room, knowing that her teacher, Gakupo, was most likely lounging in the teacher's lounge, chatting away with the other staff members. She walked down the empty hallway, humming an absent tune as she proceeded to exit the school. Her tune continued as she walked several blocks before approaching an intersection, where she took a left. There were several shops lined, some having signs that swung in the breeze creaking, while others did not have any. There was a particular sign that caught her attention, one that had engraved words _Vocaloid Café _against plain wood. Miku couldn't contain her smile as she opened the door, a tinny chime signaling her arrival.

A head of blue turned to her, while a pair of red eyes looked up. Both figures broke into a smile as they saw the high-school student in the doorway.

"Well, if it isn't our best costumer!" Meiko exclaimed, nudging Kaito in his side. The male chuckled lowly as Miku took her regular seat on the counter, the one in the very center.

"Welcome. How may I help you?" Kaito asked, offering his trademark smile that was very popular amongst the costumers, new and regular. His voice was gentle and smooth, and he had a vibrant brotherly aura that surrounded him, making him very approachable and easy to talk to. Miku always loved this aspect of the older male, yet somewhat envied him for his amiable personality; it was something that she always lacked.

"You should stop treating her so formally, Kaito. Treat her like a _friend_ for once when we're on the job." The older woman complained with a grin on her face as her back was turned to the both of them. Going from the smell, Miku could tell that Meiko was making her usual: a homely hot chocolate with cream. Although it did sound quite plain, the woman always made it different each time, going by the seasons. With the upcoming winter, Miku predicted the drink would come with a taste of peppermint, which happened to be a personal favorite of hers. Miku smiled, her eyes shifting from the male to the female as they had their conversation.

"I _am _treating her as a friend, Meiko. And that formality that you call it is called being _professional,_ mind you."

"Well, professional is boring. Loosen up a bit, man. You're too uptight."

"You're too laid-back."

Meiko shrugged, placing the hot chocolate in front of Miku. "I just like to enjoy life to the fullest." She gave a wink to Miku and then reached out to ruffle her hair.

The girl smiled as she reached out to her cup with both hands, taking a tentative sip as she did so. She watched as the two continued to bicker uselessly, until Meiko's crimson eyes lit up, and she turned to the younger girl, who looked at her with curiosity gleaming in her teal ones.

"Hey, have you heard of that new girl in town? Heard she was a rather popular singer. She's not with any major record label or anything, but she's pretty damn good." Kaito nodded with the girl's statement, turning to brew his own cup of coffee.

"There's a new girl?" Miku scrunched her nose, wiggling it cutely as Meiko gaped and then laughed, giving Kaito a hearty slap on the back as she did so. The man grunted, nearly spilling his drink all over himself. He grunted, giving the brunette a forced smile as he went on to clean the burning beverage resting on his arms. Meiko rolled her eyes with amusement, returning her gaze to Miku.

"Yeah, I'm pretty surprised you haven't seen her around lately. She's pretty popular and all, and she's real easy to get along with too. Ran into her earlier today, invited her to the café. Stick around for a while, and you should meet her. I think you'll get along quite dandy." Meiko gave a brief glance at the porcelain mug before snatching it out of his hands, taking a noisy sip as Kaito gave her a blank stare. Miku could hardly contain her laugh, the hot chocolate burning her throat as she did so. Watching Meiko pick on Kaito was incredibly funny, even though they were in a relationship with one another. And seeing Kaito lose face was hilarious too.

The chime tingled, and all three heads turned to the door. Two of them broke into a rather excited grin, while the youngest ducked her head, quite shocked to see such a beauty walk in.

"Hey Luka, glad you could make it!" Meiko greeted. The woman brushed back a bang of pink from her eyes, offering a sweet smile.

"Good day, Meiko. And it really is a pleasure to be here." She smiled sweetly, taking the seat next to Miku. The girl fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat, taking a sip to moisten her dry throat. For once, she felt quite inferior, especially when being someone so…_enigmatic _like Luka.

"Hello Luka, it's nice that you could make it. Do you have anything in particular—"Kaito grunted as Meiko dug her elbow into the male's side, earning her a grunt and a stare that stated the simple question of "Why?" She replied with a smile and a quick peck on his cheek before turning her attention to the newcomer.

Luka giggled at the exchange, and only then seemed to realize the shy girl beside her. Miku could almost feel her gaze, and although it was meant to be light, it was very overbearing and heavy.

"Hello there. I'm Megurine Luka. It's nice to meet you," the pink-haired woman muttered, just loud enough for Miku to only hear. She whipped her head up, and was met with the most charming smile she's ever seen, and the most enticing shade of cerulean eyes. The girl knew that she was gaping at her like some kind of foreign specimen, but she just simply could not help it; she was mesmerized with this stranger and by God, she was a gorgeous one. As she continued to stare, Luka didn't seem uncomfortable by it, but rather entertained for getting such a reaction. "What's your name?"

The question pulled Miku into reality. "Uhm, Hatsune M-Miku. It's a pleasure to meet you too." She bowed her head a bit before turning to face towards the couple behind the counter, knowing full well that her cheeks were red and burning. She barely registered anything the older people said, the only sound that she heard above the clamor of conversation was that angelic giggle that Luka possessed. She honestly felt a bit horrified and self-conscious of being next to a woman. Miku took a tentative sip on her lukewarm drink.

A cup from her peripheral vision compelled Miku to look up, and she did. The sight that she was met with was Luka thanking Meiko with that amazing smile. There was muffled yelling in the back as the three tried to resume their previous conversation. The brunette closed her eyes, took a breath, and tugged Kaito along with her.

"Be back you two, Manager's calling! You better play nice!" She mocked, giving a smile before wincing when the booming voice called her name. Meiko gave her reply before rushing to the man with Kaito in tow.

"And then there were two, right?" Luka asked, giving a soft nudge to Miku's ribs. She offered a small smile, and then a shrug, offering no vocal response. Inside, she fretted that she may have come off as rude to the older woman; some, maybe even many, considered a lack of reply as ill-mannered. Her teal eyes flitted to the side before resting on her own cup.

"Not a talker, are we? It's fine, I used to be one myself, around your age. Only until I was about eighteen or nineteen did I stick my head out of my shell. The people in my school called me 'Toeto,' since I was so soft-spoken." She hummed a bit at the memory, smiling. Luka took a sip, seemingly basking in the silence that had settled in between. "Guess what I'm trying to say is…that it's fine if you don't really want to talk. Even though you didn't say anything." She laughed, going in for another sip of her drink.

Miku took occasional glances at the woman, who had busied herself with her beverage and looking at the brands of coffee beyond the counter. There was this subtle smile dancing on the older woman's lips, and how the girl even _noticed _it, she didn't understand. Something was so entrancing about the pink-haired woman; no wonder many approached her.

Luka noticed the younger's gaze, and she met it, the smile growing larger as she did so. "May I help you?" She asked, leaning in closer. Only when they were inches apart did Miku react.

"Uh, h-how do you like the town s-so far?" She blabbered, almost tearing her head away from such close contact.

The woman seemed to understand the message and backed away to a more appropriate distance. "Well, Meiko asked that question earlier and I guess you weren't listening, but the town is very nice. Many are very kind and polite to me," she made sure to add a much sweetened smile here before she went on. "especially you three. It's nice to see such a big effort to make someone new feel at home."

Miku gently swung her legs in a small metronome motion. "They tend to do that once they hear a newcomer's in town, especially Meiko. She likes to go out a lot, which is shown in her daily parties and booze drinking on the weekends." She laughed a bit, feeling herself going at ease a bit.

"I noticed." Luka giggled and Miku soon joined in, feeling the shackles of insecurity the moment the woman came in become unlocked and clang to the floor. Soon enough, the couple that had left came back, and added to the conversation. They chatted away, not until it was quite late into the afternoon did they realize how much time had passed.

"I should go now; my parents are going to get worried if they don't see me at home once they get back." Miku offered a small smile of apology, placing her empty cup to the side for Kaito to clean while sliding off the chair. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Luka nodded, following suit. "I should go too. Better finish unpacking all of my stuff in my apartment." She gave a tip of a dollar or two into the glass jar, giving a last smile to the two. "Tomorrow, perhaps."

Meiko and Kaito grinned, waving at the leaving duo, saying, "Have a nice day!" along the way. Once the chime signaled their departure, Luka turned to Miku.

"It was nice meeting you." She said, her tone sincere and soft.

"Likewise," Miku said, bowing her head.

"…I suppose I'll see you tomorrow."

"Mhm."

The both of them turned away from each other, walking in opposite directions.

"Oh, and you're rather cute!" The familiar voice called out a compliment. Miku could just feel her cheeks brighten and burn. She turned her head to see a rather (subtly) rakish smile on the woman's face. The teen simply smiled and waved, before going off in the direction where her house was.

_Maybe talking to people isn't _so _bad, _she thought, a small smile implanting itself on her face as the image of Luka's charming smile branded itself on her mind's eye.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Okay, so I decided to continue the story due to popular demand. And you can kind of disregard the first note I made in the previous chapter about this story being three to five chapters long, because I'm pretty sure it's not going to be that short. Probably a bit longer. Hope you guys enjoy this particular chapter, and feel free to leave a review or PM on your way. Thanks.**

**Ciao. c:**

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Miku looked up, seeing her friend Rin bounding towards her, her ribbon jumping with excitement as she did. A faint smile appeared on the girl's face, although there was an undertone of confusion. The blonde failed to notice as she radiated jubilance.

"You hear about the new girl?" Rin asked, nearly toppling over Miku's desk. The receiver of the question smiled and nodded, scribbling down extra notes onto her stationary. The town she lived in was not small, nor was it large, but it never took long for news like a newcomer to spread uproar. She knew that the commotion would die down soon enough as it always did, but somewhere Miku knew that this particular storm was going to take a bit more time to pass. Closing her notebook, she hardly registered anything the energetic blonde said.

"I mean, she's _so _gorgeous and—hey, are you even listening?" Rin clapped her hands in front of Miku's face, successfully capturing the girl's attention along with everyone else's. The blonde smiled awkwardly and waved her hand dismissively, a silent gesture for everyone to resume what they were doing. Miku smiled subtly, amused. "Anyways, as I was saying, I saw her in the market, right? And I honestly thought it _couldn't _be her, because she was unrealistically pretty, you know?" The blonde sighed heavily, placing a dramatic hand over her heart. "I couldn't work up the guts to even greet her. She just seems too far out of my reach, if you get what I'm saying." At that moment, Rin had decided to pull up the chair from her brother's desk, finally getting tired and worn from her ecstasy.

"I know what you mean. She seems…out of our league." Rin nodded frantically, propping her elbows up on Miku's desk. "But she is really nice. I've spoken to her before." Her friend's expression turned to disbelief, and then shock.

"_You _spoke to _her_?" Rin knew that Miku was not very sociable, and the fact that she would actually speak to someone with an intense atmosphere was unheard of.

"Well, I didn't start the conversation if that's what you were saying," Rin considerably relaxed, her expression softening. "But we did talk. Luka—that's her name, if you hadn't known by now—is easy to talk to. She's one of those people who make you at ease. Kind of like Kaito, except female." Miku noticed a head of blonde hair come around, and she greeted Len with a smile. The younger twin acknowledged the both of them, nudging his sister off with an elbow. Rin relented, giving up the chair and quickly finding another one nearby.

"You two talking about the new girl?" He asked, taking his supplies out of his bag. Miku nodded softly while Rin answered with an energetic, "Yup!"

"Man, Rin couldn't stop talking about her all day yesterday. It was ridiculous." Len shook his head, a small grin on his face. His twin, on the other hand, scowled deeply.

"Shut up, you were going on and on about her too!"

"Not as much as you."

The two continued to bicker and argue, Miku playing the neutral part of peacemaker, and stutter on her apologies to the other students who gave them looks and sometimes even glares. Only when the door opened and Gakupo walked in did they scatter back to their respective seats. The teacher gave a small, appreciative smile before taking roll.

Gakupo continued with the lesson, pinpointing usual errors that many students make. Miku paid no heed, instead doodling scribbles in her notebook, thinking of one person in her mind's eye.

_She's awfully pretty, like Rin says. Elegant, lady-like, mature; she's the very image of a perfect woman. And she's easy to get along too. No wonder many like her._ Miku sighed quietly, glancing up at the board and writing down the new notes that had appeared. _I kind of want to get to know her a little more. But there's such an amazing chance of _that _happening. _The girl scoffed, earning her gazes. She smiled uneasily, and then refocused her attention to the front only to fade back into her thoughts. _I hope Luka's going to be at the café there today… _

"Hatsune-san, what's the answer?" Gakupo trailed his purple eyes knowingly to the girl. He smiled with a patient expression on his face. Miku gulped quietly, before blurting a random number, which happened to be two. "Although that is the correct answer, please make sure to pay attention the lecture." The girl flushed from embarrassment and nodded, while others like Rin snorted back a laugh and a handful bit back their smiles like Len. "Thank you, Hatsune-san. Now, as I was saying…" His voice faded away again as Miku copied down the notes with burning cheeks.

_I hope this day ends quickly…_

-x-

"Afternoon, Miku!" Meiko greeted her with her jubilancy, a cup in her hand. With the red smear that was splattered on the older woman's cheeks, Miku knew that she was drunk, and when she was, she always added another person with the affair. Today, her drinking partner happened to be an older woman that Miku knew fairly well, Lily. Lily had most of composure still intact, but there was still that distinguishable smell of alcohol lurking about.

"Hey kid. It's been a while since I've seen you. I think you grew too," Lily narrowed her eyes, looking her up and down with a swift gaze before grinning and relaxing. "Nah must be a trick of the light. No way you would have grown," she chuckled, and the student frowned, uncharacteristically so.

"Whatever Lily," she mumbled, taking a reluctant seat next to the blonde. The woman mimicked her younger friend's scowl and slung an arm around the teal-haired girl's neck.

"C'mon Miku, I was just kiddin'. Your size fits you perfectly." Lily assured, to which Meiko drunkenly nodded to; Miku wasn't even sure if the waitress had any idea what they were discussing.

"I know, I know." The student's frown disappeared, being replaced with a soft smile. Lily returned it, ruffling the girl's hair while she was at it. Her blue eyes drifted to her almost empty can, and she downed the remainder of the liquid, giving out a relieved sigh. She flashed a smile at Meiko, and then at the blue male who had appeared from the bathroom. She mussed up the youngest girl's hair again, before standing.

"Going to go now, gotta pick up Rin and Len from their club activities." Lily was a very close family friend of the Kagamines, and had known them since they were born. She watched them grow up, often looking out for them for the extra cash. Since Lily knew Meiko, the twins usually came along with the older blonde to the café. Eventually Miku met them before the start of her first year of high school, and the three of them got along fairly easily.

Miku waved along with the couple to the blonde who exited. Right when she opened the door, Miku's heart nearly leaped out of her ribcage as Luka came in, bumping into Lily's shoulder in the process. She turned to apologize, but her eyes quickly brightened in recognition, and they started a quiet conversation that consisted of nods and agreements as far as Miku could hear. They said a final farewell, and she turned to the trio, a soft and warm smile on her face as she took the spot where Lily once sat. The woman had on a confused expression on her face until it morphed into a small smile that showed traces of repulsiveness in it.

"Is that alcohol I smell?" She asked, her cerulean-colored eyes darting towards Miku. The girl fidgeted under the gaze, and the growing scent of enticing perfume that stuck around Luka. "I didn't know that you were drinking, Hatsune-san. You should know that it's _illegal, _correct?" Luka's voice had strained the word, and when she did, Miku gave a glance to her side. She nearly passed out from how close the woman had gotten towards her. There was a creeping blush coloring her cheeks, and she took a quick breath, inhaling that perfume that vaguely smelled of spring and the cherry blossoms that bloomed during the season. Spring was always her favorite time of year, Miku mused distractedly.

But the warmth and familiar scent backed away, and she looked to the woman, who had retracted herself from the teen. A sense of disappointed boiled near her core as Luka placed a hand on her head.

"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I was just teasing." She smiled apologetically, running her fingers through the girl's bangs. Miku simply nodded her acceptance, while Meiko had decided to slam her beverage on the bar.

"Yo, Luka! You wanna driiink?" The woman's speech was slurred, and Kaito casted a small worried glance as he went off to make Miku's hot chocolate. The pink-haired woman on the other hand was quite surprised on how drunk Meiko was, but quietly declined with her smile. The brunette decided she hated that reply and instead sent a sour glare at her before telling the three that she was going to the back to 'relax'; in other words, have another can of beer.

Kaito shook his head, placing Miku's beverage in front of her delicately. "If Manager finds about this, she's going for an earful." His ocean-blue eyes flitted nervously as he tried to stoke a conversation with the two women that were in front of him. It was clear that he was worried about Meiko, and Luka realized that.

"You can go and check up on her. Miku and I will see if anyone comes in." Kaito opened his mouth to protest, but closed it, giving a nod of thanks instead before heading to the back. There was a moment of silence, with Miku sipping her drink and Luka absently returning to her activities of combing Miku's hair. Once she had her fill, the woman allowed her hand to slide off of the girl's head. Their eyes met for a bit, and Miku gave a quick upturn of her lips before having another mouthful of hot chocolate.

"You're awfully cute," was the statement that caught her off guard and made her gag on her drink. Miku coughed, her eyes watering a bit and cheeks now completely flushed. Luka on the other hand, calmly watched her with those charming blue eyes, ones that were reminiscent of a clear sky. With the little composure that she had left, Miku meekly looked up, not used to compliments of any sort.

"Wh-what?"

"You heard me. I think you're awfully cute," Luka repeated, her tone matter-of-fact. "I think your little blunders are adorable, and appearance-wise, you're very attractive." She smiled sweetly, oversaturating the teen with verbal sugar. There was a quiet silence, where Luka sat there, observing her with content eyes. Miku felt uncomfortable once more and took a quick sip of her drink, wondering what she should say.

"We should spend a day together, just the both of us. Get to know each other a little more, explore the town, that sort of thing." Luka said, breaking the silence herself. The teen looked up, her teal eyes glittering with a quiet excitement.

"Really?" She was answered with a small laugh.

"Yes, really. Tomorrow afternoon, if you're free."

"I am."

Luka smiled, and Miku gave a feeble one back.

"Then I suppose we'll meet tomorrow, yes?"

Miku nodded her head, showing confirmation. One last smile came from Luka before she stood, running her fingers in the girl's hair one last time.

"Wonderful. We can meet here once you exit from school, see if you want to change quickly, and then we'll be on our way to wherever you wish. Sounds good?" Miku nodded again, showcasing a small smile before it vanished. "Splendid. Tomorrow then, yes?"

"Y-Yeah. Tomorrow." They gave each other a small wave to each other, said final farewells, and parted. When Miku turned herself to face the counter, she was met with Meiko, a sleazy grin on her face.

"Goin' on a date with Luka, aren't yah?" She slurred. Her tone was clearer than before, which meant she sobered up a bit, but not completely. "It's coo', you can go out with whoever you want, Miku."

Miku flushed and began to argue with the woman, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she somewhat agreed that their little midday meetings were like a date.

That was something that she enjoyed.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Woo, another update! Speaking of updates, someone asked me how frequently I'm going to be updating this story. My answer to that is roughly from a week or two. It's a bit later than I would have liked, but since I have other stories I'm working on (like the original story I'm working on, which is in our Tumblr. Link will be in our FF description) and there is schoolwork to be done, and I can't really control that. Aside from that, I'm quite overwhelmed with the feedback I got on the story. It really makes me warm and fuzzy on these winter days. c:**

**Anyways, enjoy the story. Got any questions, concerns, requests, feel free to PM or review.**

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Miku nibbled on the inside of her lip, impatiently watching the clock tick the seconds away in a meticulous and slow manner. All she wanted to do was get out of the class as soon as she could, and go to the café quickly. She knew that Luka would not be there if she rushed, but she just couldn't contain her excitement; Miku felt like she would combust from anxiety. Glancing at the board and seeing that Gakupo was _still _talking, Miku internally screamed until the bell rang its tinny cry. The teacher looked quite surprised to see that time had flew by so fast for him. Miku, on the other hand, was relieved that the day was over, seeing how much everything had slowed over the course of the past fifteen minutes.

"I suppose that's where we'll end today. Class dismissed." There was a final wave of Gakupo's hand, and everyone began their daily routine of going back to their groupies, laughing and talking. They languidly walked out of the class, with a teal-haired girl rushing to pack her materials as quickly as possible. When she looked up, she saw a bouncing ribbon.

"Whoa, where are you going in such a rush?" Rin asked with a curious smirk on her face.

"Just going somewhere with someone," Miku mumbled, folding a piece of paper in half to stuff in her bag's front pocket.

"Oho, who is it? A secret admirer?"

The thought of Luka being an admirer of hers was farfetched and made Miku's cheeks burn. _As if a sophisticated woman like Luka would take interest in a simple teen like me, _she realized, her ardors diminishing.

"Oh, it is! Man, your face completely told it all. Can't wait 'till I tell Len—" Rin's rambles were cut off when a hand was slapped on her mouth.

"Rin, no. It's not a secret admirer; I'm just going out with a…friend."

Rin seemed disappointed and pried the girl's hand off from her face. She gave a distasteful face as if disturbed by the flavor of the hand before grinning.

"Alright, alright. You gave have fun with your _friend_." The emphasis on the word made Miku furrow her brow with suspicious before she raced out of the door with her bag in tow.

She had other matters to attend to.

-x-

Miku hadn't expected the older woman to be there, but she was, waiting patiently for the girl she was about to spend the remainder of the day with. Luka turned her head, her eyes twinkling in the homely light of the café. Meiko and Kaito were nowhere in sight (quite possibly getting yelled by the Manager for the amount of beer the brunette had consumed with Lily), and Luka was the only one occupying the tiny thing, sipping from her mug. It was a charming picture to look at, and Miku did exactly that.

"Are we going to be on our way, or are you going to simply stand there?" Luka asked, going for a last sip of her drink before slipping a check underneath her china platter and money into the glass jar next to the register. Miku noticed how the jar was half full already. Most likely it was because of Luka generous donations. The older woman's consideration was something the teen really admired. _Another factor to the lady-like section, I suppose. _

Luka added a charming smile before pushing the door open for Miku to pass through. Thanking her with a feeble voice, Luka laughed at the girl's shyness and allowed Miku to lead her to her house.

"Are your parents home?" Luka asked, taking a large stride to fall in place next to Miku. The girl shook her head no, her pigtails shaking side to side.

"They work late hours, so I'm mainly alone with myself."

"No siblings?"

"None. I'm the only child."

Luka gave a small hum, and a small frown that Miku found awfully uncharacteristic yet endearing all the while. "Isn't that a bit lonely?"

"I suppose. But since I was raised like almost all my life, I consider it normal." She shrugged, taking a turn. "How about you, do you have siblings?"

Luka gave a soft smile and leaned down, her lips near Miku's ear. "For now, that will remain a secret." A grin was very evident in her tone, and once they were in front of the girl's house, the teen sprinted to the front door and quickly unlocked it in record time. Dashing up the stairs, Miku could hear the bemused laughter of Luka behind her, a burning sensation in her cheeks.

-x-

"I must say, you look quite adorable in your outfit. Were you trying to impress me?" Luka asked with a tone full of tease and curiosity.

"You keep calling me cute and adorable."

"And you keep avoiding the question."

Miku bristled, looking over to the side and opting to stay quiet. Luka replied with a laugh and wrapped her arm around the girl's neck.

"I was kidding about the impressing part. But you _do _look awfully cute today. Then again, you look cute every day." Luka chuckled, removing her arm and allowing it to fall back to her side. From there, her blue eyes observed her carefully from Miku's hair, to the sleeveless button-up shirt and teal tie she wore, the black skirt with teal outlining, to her black leggings and shoes. A while ago, Miku had admitted that she had no boyfriend and it thoroughly shocked Luka; she couldn't understand why such an adorable girl like her would _not _have one.

Looking back at it, the girl could almost recall a brief twinkle of what seemed to be relief in Luka's eyes. But it was very brief, and it faded before Miku could make a solid conclusion. Casting a glance over to the woman beside her, she could clearly see that although it was subtle, Luka had also made an effort to impress her on their 'date' as Meiko had said the day before. The woman had a simple shirt that complimented her jeans and boots. The pink hair flowed behind her back in waves, and every time Luka would turn to Miku to ask her a question or start a conversation, there was that wonderful smell of cherry blossoms that stuck with her. There were times where they would rest on a bench and make small talk about the day and weather, and even delve into deeper levels like family and friends.

Luka would ask about the occupations of Miku's parents, while in return Miku would ask the same. The answer was always the same: an ambiguous smile would play on her lips, along with the phrases, "I'll tell you one day. For now, it's a secret." It did frustrate the teen a bit, but the mysterious enigma that surrounded Luka like her scent always fascinated the girl. Maybe if she waited for a while longer, she would finally get the answer she wanted.

So as they sat on the bench, Miku played with her own fingers.

"Something bothering you?" Luka asked, offering a sweet smile.

Miku shook her head no. "Just thinking, is all."

"I see."

There was a silence. After a while, Luka stood up from the bench and stretched a bit, giving a small smile to Miku when she was done.

"Now, shall we go walk off the food we ate?"

Miku shyly nodded, and followed suit. They walked several blocks, making small talk all the while. A handful of passing people gave Luka a greeting while others proceeded further with a "How are you?" Luka would give a smile and an "I'm doing well," before gently grasping Miku's forearm and tugging her along. By then, the said stranger would notice the teen and give a nod of acknowledgement before moving on.

"Everyone's quite lively," Luka noted, releasing Miku's arm for what seemed to be the umpteenth time. There was the ghost of the pink-haired woman's hand leaving a chill in its wake, and Miku shivered, wanting some of Luka's warmth to keep the cold away.

"Yeah, more than usual. I've never seen them so worked up about a newcomer."

Luka pursed her lips like she was thinking about what to say next. "I quite enjoy the welcoming, but it gets a bit," she hesitated a slight second, "overwhelming I suppose." She laughed lightly. "I guess that's the Toeto inside me talking. I do like company, but once it gets too large, I tend to solitude myself for a while."

"So…you like to be alone too?" Miku quietly concluded.

Luka ambiguously smiled, reaching out for Miku's hand.

"In a way, yes."

As the older woman took the initiative to twine their fingers together, the girl realized that this seemingly untouchable woman was much simpler than many thought because somewhere inside, the newcomer Megurine Luka was in many ways like introverted Hatsune Miku.

-x-

"I had an enjoyable time. I hope you did too." Luka gave a small smile, standing outside the front door of Miku's house. The girl grinned, and nodded quite enthusiastically.

"I did. I enjoyed my time with you." Her ardor faded away as she took a quick, anxious glance at the ground. "We should do this another time."

"We should" was the simple answer Luka gave her before pulling her into an embrace. Miku was surprised with the gesture and stood flaccidly in her arms, basking in the warmth and perfume that the girl thoroughly enjoyed. Everything slowed to a stop, the fingers running through her teal hair bringing her at considerable ease. Miku felt like she just wanted to stay there forever.

But unfortunately, time did not stop for them, and Luka pulled back, taking her warmth and scent along with her. Looking up, Miku found a glimmer of disappointment as waved goodbye and turned away to walk home.

Looking at the fading silhouette of the woman with the background of the setting sun was something that made Miku's heart pound and made her breath become lodged in her throat.

_So simple yet so complex, _she mused.

* * *

**I don't necessarily enjoy end notes, but I felt compelled to apologize for the short chapter. I'll try to make the next one a bit longer. **

**Thanks for reading.**

**Ciao. c:**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: A rather overdue update, sorry guys! I've been working on this paragraphs at a time, but at least it's finished now. Work piled up, and the holidays are far from over. Hopefully I'll find time to update much faster once all the holiday events simmer down a tad.**

**I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and I wish you guys a fantastic New Year. **

**Thanks for reading.**

**Ciao. c:**

* * *

It was a rather normal weekend day for Miku, which consisted of mainly nothing eventful. Only the usual activities such as singing along with the most recent songs, catching up on schoolwork, skimming through the bland channels on television, eating leftovers for meals, and lazing about in her room occupied her day. It was a plain lifestyle for a plain girl, and Miku was very content with that. But ever since she met Luka, she found herself thinking more and more about the very elegant woman that reached out to the girl.

It started very subtle, from admiration of looks that gradually escalated into a deeper affection. Everything was new to the teen; she had never experienced anything like this before, let alone to a woman. She had acknowledged the fact that many people looked very attractive, but it never went beyond looks and into a more intimate level.

She had brief interest in a handful of people, all of whom were male. Over time, those feelings fell apart and she later just saw them as mere friends and that was all. But there was something different about Luka, and Miku wasn't quite sure what it was. All of this was new territory to Miku, and she had no map to follow.

Biting her lip, Miku closed the novel she was reading, making sure to fold the corner of the page she was on before doing so. Setting the book aside, she turned on her side, very confused about the whole ordeal. Miku didn't know how to approach this particular problem, and she sighed, very confused. This was starting to become rather tiring to think about.

_I should just wait and see if it grows. If it fades, then it will just be like the rest, _Miku reassured herself, reaching out for her MP3 player. Plugging in her earphones and scrolling through her index of songs, Miku smiled. _Then we'll just be friends like the other people. _

But as she thought that, Miku's body grew cold as a part of her did not want her to be simply be friends with the older woman.

-x-

A consistent pecking noise outside of her window stirred Miku awake, a rather loud pulse echoing in her head. It took her a moment to realize that the pulsing was the beat of the current song that was playing in her ears, and she quickly paused the song, blinking a bit to steady her vision. As she took off the earphones, she noticed that the tapping continued to persist. Miku sighed, wondering who it could be—but had a good idea it would be the twins—and opened her window by sliding it up. The teen had to move her head to the side as a rock whizzed past her, but she was quite surprised to see a head of pink instead of flaxen.

Luka waved her hand in the air, her smile simply beaming with ecstasy. Miku meekly waved back, feeling a rising feeling in her chest. This was certainly something she hadn't felt before.

"Were you asleep?" Luka called out, cupping her hands to amplify the volume of her voice. Miku nodded her head, and Luka's grin turned into a sheepish turn of her lips. "Sorry."

The girl smiled, already being charmed. She mimicked Luka's action of cupping her hands. "It's fine. You kind of startled me."

"Still, I should have known any better." The older woman's grin returned, and she let out a small laugh. "Can I come inside? It feels a bit awkward yelling up towards you."

A sudden rush of heat flew to her cheeks, and Miku could only reply with a small nod. Closing her window, she rushed down the stairs, nearly tripping on her face as she did so. Once she reached the front door, she opened it, offering a soft smile to the older woman on the other side.

"Pardon for the intrusion. I stopped by the café and noticed you weren't there, so I thought I would stop by your house since I don't have any way of contacting you. I hope you don't mind."

Miku bristled, flustered by the fact that the pink-haired woman was looking for her, on a weekend, when she should have been doing something else. Clearing her throat, the girl tried to calm herself. "D-Don't you have plans with Lily though?" She asked, remembering the time she witnessed the two woman seemingly made agreements to a day together.

It took a moment to register what the girl was talking about, and when she did, she laughed. "Oh, that? She asked for a drink, and I complied, but now Lily keeps pushing the date farther back due to some babysitting she had to do. I forget."

Miku did a quick 'o' expression, quickly realizing that Lily was talking about taking care of the Kagamine twins. The teal-haired girl could just hear Rin's pleas to the older blonde about letting them leave the house unattended; Miku smiled despite herself.

Luka noticed this out-of-the-blue smile, and placed on a small smirk herself, leaning in towards the teenager. "Are you thinking about someone?" Her tone curled into a teasing note, causing Miku to recoil a step.

"N-No," Miku stammered, her cheeks being decorated a deep burgundy. Luka laughed, backing away.

"Okay, I believe you." Her teasing tone dropped down into a light-hearted one. "Do you want to go out for a walk? Only if you want to, I understand if you have homework."

Miku shook her head. "It's fine, I can come with you. I don't have much to work on anyways. I'll go change into something nicer—"

"You look perfectly fine in what you're wearing."

Fidgeting, Miku looked down on her attire. It was a plain pair of pants and a shirt, nothing extravagant. She hadn't expected on going out. Casting a nervous glance to the woman waiting for her, Miku quickly averted her eyes to the ground.

"It's fine, really. If anyone makes fun of you, I'll be sure to make them regret it." Luka commented soothingly. Taking her hand gently, Luka tugged Miku outside.

"It's not so bad, right?" Miku nodded her quiet agreement, but most of her attention was focused on how soft Luka's grip was. _She has smooth skin too, _Miku noted to herself, allowing herself to squeeze the older woman's hand.

"You did remember to close and lock the front door, right?" Luka asked as they turned the corner.

"I think so…" Miku's voice trailed off. Her eyes widened in realization and she quickly let go of the older woman's hand, speeding off to her house.

_I got distracted by her again, _she embarrassedly thought.

-x-

"So, how was your day?" Luka asked, taking in an audible breath of air.

"Uneventful."

"Mm, same. It's a pity, really; I expected something big to happen today."

"I'm surprised that you didn't get bombarded with random strangers on your front door."

Luka laughed. "Well, it's like you said. People are starting to calm down about me coming to town."

Miku nodded quietly, and the both of them continued down the path in silence. The girl took a moment to enjoy the scenery, with the occasional leaf falling and the little toddler half-waddling, half-running to her parents. Miku stifled back a snicker, and Luka let out an amused breath of air.

Feeling like they were basking in the silence for a bit too long, Miku finally decided that it was time to ask some questions regarding her companion's past.

"How do you know Lily?"

Luka answered with a thoughtful hum. "I believe it was during our first year of high school. It took some time, but we got very close to one another. Although," she paused and laughed in a way that seemed nervous, "she was always demanding. Whatever she said, she made sure to make it happen one way or another. Lily was my polar opposite, so to speak." There was a slight pause. "I suppose it's true nowadays too."

"So, what happened when the both of you graduated?"

"Well, we went our separate ways. After that, we never really spoke until that day when we ran into each other in the café." She shrugged. "That's what happens when you graduate. You lose some connections, you keep some."

"Didn't you say that you began talking to other people around that time?"

Luka nodded. "After Lily and I parted, some people came up to me wondering how I actually managed to get along with her, seeing how she wasn't exactly one of the angels of our school." She chuckled. "Then they introduced me to others, and during the process, I began to become more sociable and extroverted." Luka placed a hand on top of Miku's head. "So Lily was basically the base for how I got more outgoing."

Suddenly, there was a twinge of jealousy in the pit of Miku's stomach. Even the comforting touch of Luka's fingers refused to douse the growing flame.

But what was there to be jealous about? They were merely friends. It's not like they were in a relationship or anything.

The thought seemed to fan the fire even more.

Taking a breath, Miku decided to no longer linger on the subject anymore. So she asked a different question to change the subject.

"What about your family? What were they like?

Luka's expression morphed into a blank one, and the teenager suddenly felt as if she had asked the wrong question. Those cerulean eyes that Miku adored so much trailed slowly to her own, creating a solid eye contact. Her hand slipped out of her hair, and the flame of jealousy was instantly extinguished. Never in her life had Miku felt so small.

Suddenly, a soft, ambiguous smile crossed Luka's face. "For now, that's a secret."

It was the simple line that she had said over and over again, but for some reason, Miku knew that this particular time held a quiet note of somberness to it.

-x-

"I'm afraid I can't walk you to your house this time. I have some manners to attend to at home." Luka said, offering a smile.

"It's fine. I'll see you soon then, I suppose."

They gave each other tiny waves before heading off in different directions. Halfway down the road home, Miku noticed a familiar head of blonde hair. A sudden rush of negative emotion flowed through her. Lily turned around, and noticed the teen. She smiled, waved, and stopped her stride to wait for the younger girl.

"Oh hey kid. Haven't seen you for a while."

"…Hey."

Lily furrowed her brow, clearly troubled with the tone the girl replied with.

"Something the matter?"

"No."

"You sure?"

By then, Miku was starting to get agitated. With very strenuous effort, Miku managed to keep her tone straight as she said, "Yes, I'm sure."

Still looking quite unsure, the blonde agreed with an "Okay then" and walked the girl home in an uneasy silence.

Feeling the need to discuss about something, Lily cleared her throat.

"So, what you've been up to today? It's rare to see you outside, especially on weekends."

"I was out with Luka."

The blonde let out a low whistle. "Whoa ho. What did the both of you do?" There was a grin evident in her tone, and she ended her question with a teasing note.

"Just walked around the park. Nothing special."

"Of course, of course." Lily cleared her throat once more. "You two seem to be hanging around a lot lately." She smiled, giving a teasing look over to the younger female. "Got anything goin' on between you two?"

Miku bristled and flipped her head to the side. "N-No. We're just friends, is all."

Nodding, the blonde gave Miku a small wave. "Alright kiddo. See you soon." They shared a quick smile; Miku's faded away once Lily was no longer looking.

_What am I getting so jealous about? _She asked herself, her fingers tingling as she remembered Luka's caring hold.


End file.
